Apparatus and method for presenting information associated with icons on a display screen

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, detect a first user interaction with a control button, disable an initiation of an action for a communication service, detect a second user interaction with the icon, and transmit an identification signal to a second communication device that causes the second communication device to present identification information describing the action for the communication service. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/884,481 filed Oct. 15, 2015. The contents of the foregoing are herebyincorporated by reference into this application as if set forth hereinin full.

FILED OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for presentinginformation associated with icons on a display screen.

BACKGROUND

Display screens for communication devices can be utilized to access orotherwise interact with various communication services through use oficons presented on the display screen. Some icons, and their associatedactions, are well known while other icons are not well understood.

Display screens have a limited area to present information. Further,display screens may not be helpful to users that are visually impairedor otherwise unable to clearly see the information being presented atthe particular display screen

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system that enablespresentation of identification information associated with actions thatcan be initiated by an icon of a communication device;

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a data flow for the systemof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method used in portionsof the system described in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system thatprovides media services and that can present identification informationassociated with actions that can be initiated by an icon of acommunication device;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device; and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for presenting information descriptive of icons that are ina Graphical User Interface (GUI) or on a touch sensitive display of acommunication device. The information can be rendered or otherwisepresented on another device which can facilitate the ability of a userto comprehend what actions are associated with the particular icons. Theinformation can be presented in various presentation formats includingvia audio and/or haptic communications such as for the benefit of usersthat are visually impaired. Other embodiments are described in thesubject disclosure.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include disabling orsuspending actions that are initiated by one or more icons while a userprobes those icons and while information describing or otherwiseassociated with those icons is presented on another device.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a firstcommunication device including a touch sensitive display; a processorcoupled with the touch sensitive display; and a memory that storesexecutable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitateperformance of operations. The processor can present a first icon on thetouch sensitive display and can detect a first user interaction with thefirst icon. The processor can present a second icon on the touchsensitive display where the second icon is associated with an initiationof an action for a communication service; and can, responsive to thefirst user interaction with the first icon, disable the initiation ofthe action for the communication service. The processor can detect asecond user interaction with the second icon. The processor can,responsive to the first user interaction with the first icon and thesecond user interaction with the second icon, transmit an identificationsignal to a second communication device that causes the secondcommunication device to present identification information describingthe action for the communication service. The processor can detect athird user interaction with the first icon. The processor, responsive tothe third user interaction with the first icon, can enable theinitiation of the action for the communication service.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a machine-readablestorage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executedby a processor of a first communication device, facilitate performanceof operations, including detecting a first user interaction with acontrol button. The processor can present an icon on a touch sensitivedisplay of the first communication device, where the icon is associatedwith an initiation of an action for a communication service. Theprocessor can, responsive to the first user interaction with the controlbutton, disable the initiation of the action for the communicationservice. The processor can detect a second user interaction with theicon and can, responsive to the first user interaction with the controlbutton and the second user interaction with the icon, transmit anidentification signal to a second communication device that causes thesecond communication device to present identification informationdescribing the action for the communication service.

One or more aspects of the subject disclosure are a method that includesreceiving, by a second communication device from a first communicationdevice, an identification signal, where the receiving of theidentification signal is responsive to a first user interaction with acontrol button of the first communication device and responsive to asecond user interaction with an icon displayed on a touch sensitivedisplay of the first communication device. An initiation of an actionfor a communication service at the first communication device isdisabled by the first communication device responsive to the first userinteraction with the control button at the first communication device,where the identification signal includes metadata describing the actionfor the communication service. The method can include, responsive to theidentification signal, presenting, by the second communication device,identification information associated with the action based on themetadata, where the presenting of the identification information is viaaudio communication, haptic communication, or both.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system 100 forfacilitating the presentation of information associated with GUI icons.The information can be various types of identification information. Forexample, the information can be descriptive of the action that will beinitiated by actuation of the icon. The identification information canprovide details associated with the action and/or associated with acommunication service of the action, such as pricing information,service provider identification, communication parameters (e.g.,protocol type, bandwidth usage, time parameters), alternativeactions/services, and so forth.

System 100 can include a first communication device 110 that includes atouch sensitive display 115. Device 110 can be various types of devicesincluding a mobile phone, a tablet, a display device, a personal digitalassistant, a vehicle communication system, or any other end user devicethat enables communication service(s), such as voice, video, data and/ormessaging services. Display 115 can present one or more icons 130 thatcan be pressed or otherwise actuated (e.g., scrolling) by userinteraction or contact to initiate or cause an action, such asassociated with a communication service. The action can be any type ofaction including transmitting data or other signals to a network serverfor the communication service (e.g., transmitting a request to downloada particular movie) and/or receiving data or other signals from anetwork server for the communication service. In one embodiment, theaction can be transmitting signals that enable establishing acommunication session between the communication device and a networkserver where the communication service is provided via the communicationsession, such as delivering voice, video, content and/or messaging. Inanother embodiment, the action can be launching a web browser thatenables access to a website associated with the communication service.

As an example, each of these icons 130 can be associated with launchinga different application that provides a communication service at thedevice 110. The communication service can include communications betweenthe device 110 and another device (e.g., another end user device, acontent server, a gaming server, and so forth). The communicationservice can also include launching an application that does not requiretransmitting communications from the device 110, such as launching avideo game that is resident on the device 110.

Communication device 110 can present or otherwise include a controlbutton 150. As an example, control button 150 can be a control icon thatis presented on the touch sensitive display 115. However, the controlbutton 150 can also be a physical button or other structure of device110 that can be actuated by the user. User interaction with the controlbutton 150 can disable or otherwise suspend actions associated with oneor more of the icons 130. Once the actions are suspended or otherwisetemporarily disabled, a user can then probe the display 115 to obtaininformation associated with the icons 130.

For example, a user can press control button 150 which causes actions,which would normally be initiated by pressing any of the icons 130, tobe disabled. The user can then put his or her finger on one of the icons(e.g., icon 130A) which causes the communication device 110 to transmitan identification signal to a second communication device 175. Device175 can be various types of devices such as an audio device, a hapticdevice, a braille glove, a mobile phone, a tablet, a set top box, a desktop computer, and so forth. The second communication device 175,responsive to receiving the identification signal, can presentidentification information describing or otherwise associated with theaction that would be initiated by the icon 130A.

For instance, icon 130A can be a download icon for accessing music in aplaylist. In one embodiment, the icon 130A can graphically indicate thatthe icon enables downloading music (e.g., presenting an identificationindicia of text or showing an illustration of musical notes on the touchsensitive screen 115). The communication device 175 can, responsive tothe actuation of control button 150 and user interaction with icon 130A(at communication device 110), present identification informationindicating that icon 130A enables downloading particular music. Theidentification information can include various information associatedwith the music download communication service. For example, theidentification information presented by the communication device 175 caninclude a description that icon 130A enables downloading music and canfurther provide additional information for the user, such as one or moreof song titles, song artists, pricing, other available songs, and soforth.

The communication device 175 can present the identification informationfor icon 130A using various presentation formats including audio, hapticand/or graphically. In one embodiment, the particular presentationformat for the identification information can be selected based on userinput and/or user preferences. As an example, a visually impaired usermay desire to listen to an audio message describing the music downloadof icon 130A, while a user that is not visually impaired may desire tosee the identification information on a display of the communicationdevice 175. In another example, the communication device 175 can be abraille glove (or another braille type device) where vibrations or othermotion is communicated which can be detected (and read as braille) bythe user.

In one embodiment, another user interaction with the control button 150can then enable the action to be initiated. For example, the user canhold down control button 150 and while the control button is being helddown the actions initiated by icons 130 can be disabled. Once, the userreleases the control button 150 then the actions can again be enabled.In one embodiment, the user can then again press or otherwise interactwith the particular icon (e.g., icon 130A) to initiate the communicationservice action.

In one embodiment, the identification signal transmitted from the firstcommunication device 110 to the second communication device 175 is viawireless communication. In another embodiment, the identification signaltransmitted from the first communication device 110 to the secondcommunication device 175 is via a hardwire connection between the firstand second communication devices.

In one embodiment, the identification information being presented by thesecond communication device 175 can be based on metadata stored in amemory of the communication device 110. For instance, the metadata caninclude the identification information describing the action for thecommunication service. Some or all of the stored metadata for an icon130 can be transmitted from the first communication device 110 to thesecond communication device 175 with the identification signal. In oneembodiment, a user can select categories or types of descriptions thatare to be presented by the second communication device 175. For example,a user may prefer that titles on a playlist are presented by thecommunication device 175 but that the artists are not presented. A usercan customize the identification information to be presented at thecommunication device 175 by selecting categories or types of descriptiveinformation that he or she desires or does not desire to be presented.The customization or control of the identification information presentedby the communication device 175 can be implemented at the device 110and/or at the device 175. For example, a user can provide userpreferences stored at device 110 that controls the metadata provided tothe device 175 and thus controls the identification informationpresented at the device 175. In another embodiment, the user can provideuser preferences to the communication device 175 (e.g., via a userinterface of the device 175 or via another device such as thecommunication device 110) so that the filtering or control over theidentification is performed at the communication device 175. The controlor customization of the identification information is not limited tofiltering out portions of descriptive information. For instance, a usercan control the format of the presentation, such as selecting that theidentification information is to be presented both graphically andaudibly at the communication device 175.

In one embodiment, one or more of the icons 130 may not initiate anyparticular action for the communication service but rather causesadditional information to be provided with respect to the communicationservice. For example, icon 130B can be an icon that is presented withina GUI of an application such as a map. By interacting with icon 130B,the user can be presented with additional information for the mappingcommunication service, such as where icon 130B represents a place ofinterest on the map and where the place of interest is then described atthe second communication device 175 in response to the user interactionwith the icon 130B.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication flow 200for the communication device 110 and the communication device 175. Inone or more embodiments, the communication device 110 can be adaptedwith software to enable presenting information (at device(s) 175)descriptive of icons provided on the touch sensitive display 115 of thecommunication device 110. In another embodiment, the communicationdevice 110 can be adapted with the software to enable the presenting ofthe information at device 175 without making any structural adjustmentsto the communication device 110.

In one embodiment, user interaction with control button 150 causesaction(s) (associated with icon 130A or other icons that can be probed)to be temporarily suspended at 210. This allows a user to manually probethe smartscreen 115 without initiating any actions associated with theparticular icon(s) being probed. For example during this user probing,the communication device 110 can detect icons that are being touched orotherwise interacted with by the user at 220 and metadata of eachtouched icon can be accessed by the communication device 110 at 230. At240, the metadata (or a portion thereof that is selected based on userpreferences or other factors including capabilities of the communicationdevice 175) can be sent (e.g., via a wired or wireless connection) tothe communication device 175 so that the user can be providedinformation to understand what they are touching. In one embodiment, themetadata can be filtered as shown at 250. In one embodiment, thetransmitted data can also include relative and/or absolute positioninformation on the smartscreen 115.

Once a user finds an icon that the user wants, the user can depress thecontrol button 150 (e.g., while still touching the icon 130A), therebyallowing the action to be taken at 260 and 270. Other techniques forinitiating the action of the icon 130A can also be utilized, such asdetecting a second user interaction with the icon after the controlbutton 150 is released.

In one or more embodiments, not all of the icons need to have associatedactions and some icons may be exclusively informational. For instance,the metadata associated with an icon(s) or action could be extensive,including not only a visual description, but also a wealth of otherdetails, that are not easily represented on the smartscreen 115. Forexample, when using a map application, a user can search for a locationwhere push-pins are presented, but require the user to touch thepush-pins to display their underlying information. If the metadata ofthe push-pin includes all of the underlying details, then a visuallyimpaired user could suspend actions of the icons of the smartscreen 115,touch the push-pin and receive any of the metadata associated with it(via the communication device 175) even prior to releasing screenactions.

In one or more embodiments, the technique for communicating the metadatato one or more tactile/haptic/kinesthetic devices (i.e., device 175) canbe via low power RF, ultrasonic communications or via other modes ofcommunications. In one embodiment, the metadata communicated can bestatically filtered depending on the needs or desires of the userincluding a user who is blind or otherwise visually impaired, orunimpaired, but nonetheless desiring to get non-visual inputs about thescreen icons. In one embodiment, the tactile/haptic/kinesthetic devices(i.e., device 175) can be dynamically filtered by the user depending onwhat the user desires to know about the icon(s) 130A and its associatedaction or communication service.

In one embodiment, the metadata can include a visual description of theicon 130A, but the user may be a sighted user who can see the icon butdesires to learn more about the action or communication service, so theuser configures the communication device 110 to not send this portion ofthe metadata to communication device 175. In another embodiment, a usercan select which component of the metadata he or she wishes to eitherhave communicated to or presented by the communication device 175 in avariety of ways including voice control and/or selection switches.

In one embodiment, other types of user interaction can control theinformation being transmitted by communication device 110 and/orpresented by the communication device 175, such as detecting an angle ofbending of a finger or thumb. This detection allows one hand to be usedfor holding the communication device 110 (e.g., a smartphone) and thesame hand to be used to suspend or un-suspend actions. In this example,the other hand can then be used to probe the screen, while only onefinger is required to do so. This leaves the remaining phalanges of thathand to dynamically select among the metadata simply by adjusting theangle of bend of the phalange. For instance, the user can suspend screenactions by pressing a button on the smartphone or computing devicesmartscreen 115, scan the smartscreen manually while receiving tactilefeedback, and can then decide to probe further into the metadata bybending a thumb or finger by a variable amount, causing the metadata toeffectively “scroll.” Other techniques can also be used includingpressure-sensitive switches where an amount of pressure indicates theposition in the metadata. In this example, the user, having “searched”through the metadata, may decide that he or she has found what he or sheis looking for and can then decide to select the action of the probedicon simply by releasing the control button which allows thetouch-sensitive feature of the screen to effect the action.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 300 used by system100 of FIG. 1 and implementing the flow 200 of FIG. 2. At 302, thecommunication device 110 can monitor for a request by a user to suspendicon actions. For example, the control button 150 can be presented onthe smartscreen 115. However, other techniques can be used forsuspending icon actions, including voice activated commands, motionsensing utilized to detect a particular pattern of motion indicating asuspension request, and so forth. In one embodiment, the detected userinteraction with the control button 150 can be pressing and holding downthe control button.

If the user interaction is detected at 304 then at 306 the communicationdevice 110 can suspend or otherwise disable actions that would normallybe initiated by user interaction with an icon being presented on thesmartscreen 115. The disabling of icons can be for all icons presentedat the smartscreen 115 or only a portion of those icons (e.g., accordingto user preferences, a type of action that would be initiated by theparticular icons, a type of communication service associated with theparticular icons, and so forth).

Communication device 110 can at 308 monitor for user probing of theicons being presented at the smartscreen 115. For example, thecommunication device 110 can detect at 310 user contact with an iconthat has been disabled (at 306). For instance, a user can slide his orher finger across the smartscreen 115 to make contact with one or moredisabled icons. Responsive to the user interaction with the disabledicon, at 312, the communication device 110 can transmit anidentification signal to a second communication device (e.g., device175) that causes the second communication device to presentidentification information describing the action associated with theicon being probed. As described herein, the identification informationcan include various information that enables a user to understand whatwill occur if the particular action associated with the icon isinitiated. The identification information can be as simple as adescriptive phrase (e.g., music download, web browser, Google Earth) orcan be as detailed as providing more information than can fit on asingle GUI screen.

At 314, the disabled icon can be enabled or otherwise unsuspended, suchas responsive to another user interaction with the control button 150(e.g., releasing the control button that was being held down) and/orresponsive to the presenting of the identification information at thedevice 175 (e.g., where the device 174 provides a notification to thedevice 110 that the identification information has been presented by thedevice 175).

While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the respectiveprocesses are shown and described as a series of blocks in FIG. 3, it isto be understood and appreciated that the claimed subject matter is notlimited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks may occur indifferent orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from what isdepicted and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated blocks maybe required to implement the methods described herein.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 400for delivering media services, such as delivering media content. Thecommunication system 400 can represent an interactive television system,such as an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) media system.Communication system 400 can be overlaid or operably coupled with system100 of FIG. 1 as another representative embodiment of communicationsystem 400. For instance, one or more devices illustrated in thecommunication system 400 of FIG. 4 can allow for temporary suspension ofactions initiated by icons presented at the particular device so that auser can probe the icons and learn what actions the icons will initiate.The probing can cause a second (or more) communication device to presentidentification information describing the particular actions of theicon(s) being probed.

The IPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO) 410 withat least one super headend office server (SHS) 411 which receives mediacontent from satellite and/or terrestrial communication systems. In thepresent context, media content can represent, for example, audiocontent, moving image content such as 2D or 3D videos, video games,virtual reality content, still image content, and combinations thereof.The SHS server 411 can forward packets associated with the media contentto one or more video head-end servers (VHS) 414 via a network of videohead-end offices (VHO) 412 according to a multicast communicationprotocol.

The VHS 414 can distribute multimedia broadcast content via an accessnetwork 418 to commercial and/or residential buildings 402 housing agateway 404 (such as a residential or commercial gateway). The accessnetwork 418 can represent a group of digital subscriber line accessmultiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a service areainterface that provide broadband services over fiber optical links orcopper twisted pairs 419 to buildings 402. The gateway 404 can usecommunication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 406 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 408 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 407 (such as aninfrared or RF remote controller).

The gateway 404, the media processors 406, and media devices 408 canutilize tethered communication technologies (such as coaxial, powerlineor phone line wiring) or can operate over a wireless access protocolsuch as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, or other presentor next generation local or personal area wireless network technologies.By way of these interfaces, unicast communications can also be invokedbetween the media processors 406 and subsystems of the IPTV media systemfor services such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

A satellite broadcast television system 429 can be used in the mediasystem of FIG. 4. The satellite broadcast television system can beoverlaid, operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 400. In thisembodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 415 that include mediacontent can be received by a satellite dish receiver 431 coupled to thebuilding 402. Modulated signals received by the satellite dish receiver431 can be transferred to the media processors 406 for demodulating,decoding, encoding, and/or distributing broadcast channels to the mediadevices 408. The media processors 406 can be equipped with a broadbandport to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network 432 to enableinteractive services such as VoD and EPG as described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital cable broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 433 can be overlaid,operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system and/or the satelliteTV system as another representative embodiment of communication system400. In this embodiment, the cable TV system 433 can also provideInternet, telephony, and interactive media services. System 400 enablesvarious types of interactive television and/or services including IPTV,cable and/or satellite.

The subject disclosure can apply to other present or next generationover-the-air and/or landline media content services system.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 430, a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing web portal services over the ISP network 432 towireline media devices 408 or wireless communication devices 416.

The media processors 406 and wireless communication devices 416 can beprovisioned with software functions 464 and 466, respectively, toutilize enable presenting identification information associated withicons being presented at a communication device. For instance, functions464 and 466 of media processors 406 and wireless communication devices416 can be similar to the functions described for the communicationdevices 110 and 175, respectively of FIG. 1 and in accordance with dataflow 200 of FIG. 2.

Multiple forms of media services can be offered to media devices overlandline technologies such as those described above. Additionally, mediaservices can be offered to media devices by way of a wireless accessbase station 417 operating according to common wireless access protocolssuch as Global System for Mobile or GSM, Code Division Multiple Accessor CDMA, Time Division Multiple Access or TDMA, Universal MobileTelecommunications or UMTS, World interoperability for Microwave orWiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, Long Term Evolution or LTE, and soon. Other present and next generation wide area wireless access networktechnologies can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 500.Communication device 500 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the devices depicted in FIGS. 1 and/or 2, andFIGS. 4-5 and can be configured to perform portions of the data flow 200of FIG. 2.

Communication device 500 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 502 (herein transceiver 502), a user interface (UI) 504, apower supply 514, a location receiver 516, a motion sensor 518, anorientation sensor 520, and a controller 506 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 502 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, WiFi, DECT, orcellular communication technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth®and ZigBee® are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth® Special InterestGroup and the ZigBee® Alliance, respectively). Cellular technologies caninclude, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO,WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 502 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 504 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 508 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device500. The keypad 508 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 500 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth®. The keypad 508 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 504 can further include a display510 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 500. In anembodiment where the display 510 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 508 can be presented by way of the display 510 withnavigation features.

The display 510 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 500 can be adapted to present a user interface withgraphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a userwith a touch of a finger. The touch screen display 510 can be equippedwith capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology todetect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on aportion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can beused to control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functionsof the user interface. The display 510 can be an integral part of thehousing assembly of the communication device 500 or an independentdevice communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface(such as a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 504 can also include an audio system 512 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 512 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 512 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI504 can further include an image sensor 513 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 514 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 500 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable applications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 516 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 500 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 518can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 500 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 520 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device500 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 500 can use the transceiver 502 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth®, or other wirelessaccess points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time offlight (TOF) measurements. The controller 506 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits,and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executingcomputer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the communication device 500.

Other components not shown in FIG. 5 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 500 can include a reset button (not shown). The reset button canbe used to reset the controller 506 of the communication device 500. Inyet another embodiment, the communication device 500 can also include afactory default setting button positioned, for example, below a smallhole in a housing assembly of the communication device 500 to force thecommunication device 500 to re-establish factory settings. In thisembodiment, a user can use a protruding object such as a pen or paperclip tip to reach into the hole and depress the default setting button.The communication device 500 can also include a slot for adding orremoving an identity module such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)card. SIM cards can be used for identifying subscriber services,executing programs, storing subscriber data, and so forth.

The communication device 500 as described herein can operate with moreor less of the circuit components shown in FIG. 5. These variantembodiments can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

The communication device 500 can be adapted to perform the functions ofcommunication device 110, 175, the media processor 406, and/or the mediadevices 408. It will be appreciated that the communication device 500can also represent other devices that can operate in system 100 of FIG.1, communication system 400 of FIG. 4 such as a gaming console and amedia player. In addition, the controller 506 can be adapted in variousembodiments to perform the functions 462-464, respectively.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope of theclaims described below. For example, the communication device 175 can bea dedicated device that is in communication with the communicationdevice 110 and is dedicated to presenting the identification informationprovided from the communication device 110. In another embodiment, thecommunication device 175 can be an auxiliary device of the communicationdevice 110 that renders information according to commands transmittedfrom the communication device, including a headset, a display screen, abraille glove, and so forth. For instance, the communication device 175may be an output only device. In another embodiment, the communicationdevice 175 may have the capability to receive limited user input, suchas user input associated with preferences for presenting theidentification information (e.g., audibly, visually, haptically) but nothave the capability of providing communication services independent ofthe communication device 110. In another embodiment, the communicationdevice 175 can be a fully functioning device capable of providingcommunication services independent of the communication device 110 butwhich is utilized for presenting the identification informationresponsive to receiving the metadata from the communication device 110.

In one or more embodiments, the communication device 175 can be multipledevices. For example, the communication device 110 can be probed and afirst portion of identification information for the icon(s) can bepresented at a television display and a second portion of theidentification information can be presented audibly at a mobile device,where the communication device, the television display and the mobiledevice are all in proximity to each other.

Other embodiments can be used in the subject disclosure.

It should be understood that devices described in the exemplaryembodiments can be in communication with each other via various wirelessand/or wired methodologies. The methodologies can be links that aredescribed as coupled, connected and so forth, which can includeunidirectional and/or bidirectional communication over wireless pathsand/or wired paths that utilize one or more of various protocols ormethodologies, where the coupling and/or connection can be direct (e.g.,no intervening processing device) and/or indirect (e.g., an intermediaryprocessing device such as a router).

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 600 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods described above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the communication device 110 and/or 175 presentinformation descriptive of icons that are in a Graphical User Interface(GUI) or on a touch sensitive display of a communication device wherethe information can be rendered or otherwise presented on another devicewhich can facilitate the ability of a user to comprehend what actionsare associated with the particular icons. In some embodiments, themachine may be connected (e.g., using a network 626) to other machines.In a networked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of aserver or a client user machine in a server-client user networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 600 may include a processor (or controller) 602(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), a graphics processing unit(GPU, or both), a main memory 604 and a static memory 606, whichcommunicate with each other via a bus 608. The computer system 600 mayfurther include a display unit 610 (e.g., a liquid crystal display(LCD), a flat panel, or a solid state display). The computer system 600may include an input device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 614 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 616, a signal generationdevice 618 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 620. In distributed environments, the embodiments described inthe subject disclosure can be adapted to utilize multiple display units610 controlled by two or more computer systems 600. In thisconfiguration, presentations described by the subject disclosure may inpart be shown in a first of the display units 610, while the remainingportion is presented in a second of the display units 610.

The disk drive unit 616 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 622 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 624) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 624 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 604, the static memory 606, and/or within theprocessor 602 during execution thereof by the computer system 600. Themain memory 604 and the processor 602 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Application specific integrated circuits andprogrammable logic array can use downloadable instructions for executingstate machines and/or circuit configurations to implement embodiments ofthe subject disclosure. Applications that may include the apparatus andsystems of various embodiments broadly include a variety of electronicand computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions in two ormore specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with relatedcontrol and data signals communicated between and through the modules,or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, theexample system is applicable to software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, theoperations or methods described herein are intended for operation assoftware programs or instructions running on or executed by a computerprocessor or other computing device, and which may include other formsof instructions manifested as a state machine implemented with logiccomponents in an application specific integrated circuit or fieldprogrammable gate array. Furthermore, software implementations (e.g.,software programs, instructions, etc.) including, but not limited to,distributed processing or component/object distributed processing,parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also beconstructed to implement the methods described herein. It is furthernoted that a computing device such as a processor, a controller, a statemachine or other suitable device for executing instructions to performoperations or methods may perform such operations directly or indirectlyby way of one or more intermediate devices directed by the computingdevice.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 622 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure. The term “non-transitory” as in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage includes without limitation memories, drives,devices and anything tangible but not a signal per se.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth®, WiFi, Zigbee®), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) can be used bycomputer system 600.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Theexemplary embodiments can include combinations of features and/or stepsfrom multiple embodiments. Other embodiments may be utilized and derivedtherefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figuresare also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certainproportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement which achieves thesame or similar purpose may be substituted for the embodiments describedor shown by the subject disclosure. The subject disclosure is intendedto cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, can be used in the subject disclosure.For instance, one or more features from one or more embodiments can becombined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. Inone or more embodiments, features that are positively recited can alsobe negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or withoutreplacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The stepsor functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subjectdisclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or functionsdescribed with respect to the embodiments of the subject disclosure canbe performed alone or in combination with other steps or functions ofthe subject disclosure, as well as from other embodiments or from othersteps that have not been described in the subject disclosure. Further,more than or less than all of the features described with respect to anembodiment can also be utilized.

Less than all of the steps or functions described with respect to theexemplary processes or methods can also be performed in one or more ofthe exemplary embodiments. Further, the use of numerical terms todescribe a device, component, step or function, such as first, second,third, and so forth, is not intended to describe an order or functionunless expressly stated so. The use of the terms first, second, thirdand so forth, is generally to distinguish between devices, components,steps or functions unless expressly stated otherwise. Additionally, oneor more devices or components described with respect to the exemplaryembodiments can facilitate one or more functions, where the facilitating(e.g., facilitating access or facilitating establishing a connection)can include less than every step needed to perform the function or caninclude all of the steps needed to perform the function.

In one or more embodiments, a processor (which can include a controlleror circuit) has been described that performs various functions. Itshould be understood that the processor can be multiple processors,which can include distributed processors or parallel processors in asingle machine or multiple machines. The processor can be used insupporting a virtual processing environment. The virtual processingenvironment may support one or more virtual machines representingcomputers, servers, or other computing devices. In such virtualmachines, components such as microprocessors and storage devices may bevirtualized or logically represented. The processor can include a statemachine, application specific integrated circuit, and/or programmablegate array including a Field PGA. In one or more embodiments, when aprocessor executes instructions to perform “operations”, this caninclude the processor performing the operations directly and/orfacilitating, directing, or cooperating with another device or componentto perform the operations.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A first communication device comprising: aprocessor; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor, facilitate performance of operations,comprising: presenting a first icon and a second icon at a touchsensitive display; temporarily disabling a capability of the second iconfor initiating a first action associated with a communication serviceresponsive to detecting a first user interaction maintaining contactwith the first icon; and transmitting an identification signal to asecond communication device responsive to detecting a second userinteraction with the second icon during the first user interactionmaintaining contact with the first icon, wherein the transmitting theidentification signal causes the second communication device to presentidentification information describing the first action associated withthe communication service, wherein the identification informationincludes identification indicia of the second icon, and wherein theidentification information is presented by the second communicationdevice according to a user preference.
 2. The first communication deviceof claim 1, further comprising the touch sensitive display.
 3. The firstcommunication device of claim 1, wherein the identification informationis presented by the second communication device via hapticcommunication.
 4. The first communication device of claim 1, wherein theidentification information is presented by the second communicationdevice via audio communication.
 5. The first communication device ofclaim 1, wherein the identification information is presented by thesecond communication device via visual communication.
 6. The firstcommunication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprisere-enabling the capability of the second icon for initiating the firstaction associated with the communication service responsive to detectinga third user interaction terminating contact with the first icon.
 7. Thefirst communication device of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of theidentification signal to the second communication device is via wirelesscommunication.
 8. The first communication device of claim 1, wherein thefirst action for the communication service comprises transmitting firstdata from the first communication device to a server, receiving seconddata from the server at the first communication device, or anycombination thereof.
 9. The first communication device of claim 1,wherein the operations further comprise: storing metadata in the memory,wherein the metadata includes the identification information describingthe first action for the communication service; and generating theidentification signal according to the metadata responsive to the firstuser interaction with the first icon and the second user interactionwith the second icon.
 10. The first communication device of claim 1,wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a selectionindicating a selected presentation format to be utilized as the userpreference; and transmitting a format signal to the second communicationdevice that causes the second communication device to present theidentification information according to the selected presentationformat.
 11. The first communication device of claim 1, wherein theoperations further comprise: presenting a third icon on the touchsensitive display, wherein the third icon is associated with thecommunication service, wherein user interactions with the third icondoes not initiate any action for the communication service; detecting afourth user interaction with the third icon; and responsive to thefourth user interaction with the third icon, transmitting a supplementalsignal to the second communication device that causes the secondcommunication device to present supplemental information describing thecommunication service.
 12. A machine-readable storage medium, comprisingexecutable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a firstcommunication device, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:receiving an identification signal from a second communication deviceresponsive to the second communication device detecting a second userinteraction with a second icon during a first user interactionmaintaining contact with a first icon, wherein the first icon and thesecond icon are presented at a touch sensitive display of the secondcommunication device, and wherein a capability of the second icon forinitiating a first action associated with a communication service istemporarily disabled at the second communication device responsive todetecting the first user interaction maintaining contact with the firsticon; and presenting identification information describing the firstaction associated with the communication service responsive to thereceiving the identification signal, wherein the identificationinformation includes identification indicia of the second icon, andwherein the identification information is presented according to a userpreference.
 13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, whereinthe receiving the identification signal from the second communicationdevice is via wireless communication.
 14. The machine-readable storagemedium of claim 12, wherein the identification signal is generated atthe second communication device according to metadata stored at thesecond communication device.
 15. The machine-readable storage medium ofclaim 12, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a formatsignal from the second communication device, wherein the presenting ofthe identification information is according to a selected presentationformat, and wherein the second communication device receives a selectionindicating the selected presentation format.
 16. The machine-readablestorage medium of claim 15, wherein the selected presentation formatcomprises audio communication, haptic communication, visualcommunication, or any combination thereof.
 17. The machine-readablestorage medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:receiving a supplemental signal from the second communication devicethat causes the second communication device responsive to the secondcommunication device detecting a third user interaction with a thirdicon presented at the touch sensitive display of the secondcommunication device, wherein the third icon is associated with thecommunication service, and wherein user interactions with the third icondoes not initiate any action for the communication service; andpresenting supplemental information describing the communication serviceresponsive to the receiving of the supplemental signal.
 18. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the first icon andthe second icon are presented at the touch sensitive display of thesecond communication device via a graphical user interface generated byan application being executed by the second communication device, andwherein the application provides access to the communication service.19. A method comprising: presenting, by a processing system including aprocessor, a first icon and a second icon at a touch sensitive display;temporarily disabling, by the processing system, a capability of thesecond icon for initiating a first action associated with acommunication service responsive to detecting a first user interactionmaintaining contact with the first icon; and transmitting, by theprocessing system, an identification signal to a second communicationdevice responsive to detecting a second user interaction with the secondicon during the first user interaction maintaining contact with thefirst icon, wherein the transmitting the identification signal causesthe second communication device to present identification informationdescribing the first action associated with the communication service,and wherein the identification information includes identificationindicia of the second icon.
 20. The method of claim 19, furthercomprising: receiving, by the processing system, a selection indicatinga selected presentation format; and transmitting, by the processingsystem, a format signal to the second communication device that causesthe second communication device to present the identificationinformation according to the selected presentation format.